Curiosity in our Primary School

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Curiosity in our Primary School

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” - Einstein

Learning in the Eric Speed Centre with our Kindergarten and Pre-primary students is where we see exploration in its purest form. Exploration, challenge and enjoyment, experimentation, inquiry, negotiation, observation and fun are the basis of everything that happens each day. Kindergarten have studied the topic ‘Who am I?’ and this has raised interesting questions when discovering information about their family. Our Pre-Primary students explore the topic of Dinosaurs, and there have been plenty of bones found in the playground by our young and enthusiastic archaeologists.

In Year 1, students have enjoyed learning about topics such as ‘Light, Sounds and Vibrations’ that provide a sense of wonder and curiosity as they discover what objects produce light and sound. The children have also been completely absorbed with their Inquiry unit on Then and Now and have had an engaging time exercising their vivid imaginations discussing things from the past. Finally, Grandparents Day provided a wonderful opportunity for our Year 1 students to share their variety of learning in an open and comfortable forum.

In Year 2 display areas in the Irene Bourne Centre promote and enhance curiosity during the study of various themes, most particularly with the topic of the Solar System. The displays have allowed students to take time to observe and process the information, photos and images. The Scitech excursion provided excellent opportunities for questioning and discovery and consolidated some deeper knowledge.

In Year 3, students have been exercising their curiosity and sense of awe and wonder in their study of the Noongar people. Students have been enquiring about Noongar areas like Gingin which means “tracks of feet.” The visit to Djidi Djidi School provided the impetus for a greater understanding “first hand” through a Harmony Day event. Year 3 have also given some interesting insights to their learning through the SEE, THINK, WONDER learning routine.

In Year 4, students love the variety of open-ended learning experiences that they take part in each day. One highlight has been Mr Chris Waddingham visiting their classroom to discuss his broad experiences in living within an aboriginal community as a young boy. This promoted wider learning and curiosity when discussing the Aboriginal people’s relationship with the land and the Dreamtime. The camp to Pemberton also provided tremendous learning opportunities in discovering the natural environment.

In Year 5, the children have been utilising all of their senses in the garden and on their camp to Mornington while deepening their understanding and appreciation of the natural world. They have also been putting their curiosity to good use in studying Light in Science and have been incorporating numerous learning routines, such as Colour, Symbol and Image, and Think, Pair, Share to develop deeper thinking.

Finally, Year 6 students have been engaged in some intriguing questioning and dialogue with their unit of work on ‘Government’. This background knowledge will be further consolidated by students with their field trip to Canberra in August. In the Learning Area of science, students have demonstrated wonderment and curiosity within their topic on ‘circuits’, with excellent questioning and investigation when developing their circuit boards.